Cousins complete emotional trek

August 21, 2002|By MARK BEARDSLEE

OTSEGO LAKE TWP. - "They did it for the right reason, from the heart not for the money."

This was Lewiston resident Doug King's observation when his son Dennis King and nephew Bob Jacobson, 45-year-old cancer survivors from Spring Lake, arrived at Otsego Lake State Park on Aug. 16, completing a 332-mile bicycle trek in honor of their cousin Becky Mowery Bircher, who died of cancer in 1995. She was the daughter of Doug Mowery of Johannesburg.

While the journey raised approximately $2500 for the American Cancer Society, that was secondary in the minds of the cousins as they pedaled into the area. Foremost was the memory of Becky who had not, like them, survived a battle with cancer. Bircher was raised in the Atlanta area, graduating from Atlanta High School in 1981.

"For one short week, her passing accounted for something," said Jacobson, adding that the three were quite close as kids but had, as often happens, drifted apart in adulthood.

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"You learn a lot about her, spending a lot of time on the bike," offered King, who said they both did plenty of reflecting during their week-long trip.

"(The ride) was to bless her father," continued Jacobson. "She should not be on the front of a tee shirt right now. We had a lot of epiphanies and realizations about things. You reach the end and the emotions kind of peak right now. But she's passed away. We did a lot of thinking about what matters in life."

Dennis King said that four-time Tour de France victor Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor himself, had written a book called "It's not about the Bike." Similarly, he said that for he and his cousin, it was not about the money, it was about connecting with people. He said the three greatest lessons in life are: 1) People are more important than things; 2) People are more important than things; and 3) People are more important than things.

The emotional pair shared stories of people they met along the way and how much they found they had in common with complete strangers. One woman in Frankfort who apparently had some wealth also had tears streaming down her face after hearing the cousins' story. "Cancer is not a respecter of persons," Jacobson said. "Wealth doesn't matter."

Jacobson added that they tried to make a point of stopping at Dairy Queens in each town they passed through and just telling people about Becky, about how potent a force cancer is and about how it is beatable.

They did not solicit money but people gave anyway, and according to Jacobson, "Everybody had their story after we told ours."

Near Northport, for example, they stopped to help some senior bicyclists who needed an allen wrench. The cousins told their story and said that the couple related powerfully and donated some money to Becky's Ride.

"If we hadn't raised a single nickel, we still would have met the people along the way and shared our stories," Jacobson said. He added that he has heard figures that cancer affects, directly or indirectly, one of every two persons in the country. "People said, 'I'll be praying for you and for Becky.' The moments like that were what made it."

Physically and emotionally exhausted, the cousins wanted to thank all the people along the way who donated and, more particularly, their wives, Laurie King and Anne Marie Jacobson, who escorted them all the way, setting up and breaking down camps.

"And of course, my uncle, who lost his daughter," noted King. "We can't imagine what that must be like."

The bicyclists said the most challenging parts of their journey were a two-mile long hill near Arcadia, some hills around Traverse City and some "butt-kickers" between Mancelona and Otsego Lake. But King, who shares a deep faith in God with his cousin, noted that they were able to obtain shelter from a storm in Northport in a cabin at the campground which just happened to be vacant. The cousins pointed out that they performed family baptisms along the route as well.

When the pair finally arrived at the Mowery household on Douglas Lake Road on Aug. 17, he said they were met by 40 people standing along the road half a mile from the house cheering and applauding. Emotions were powerful, not just for the riders, but for Becky's family as well. King said he was told that Becky's father had not seemed so happy in years. The ride ended with a private family gathering at the Mowery home where Becky's life was celebrated in story and song.

"Honestly, we had the wind at our back the whole way up," King concluded. "It was a rich, rich time."